New Brandon Primary School to feature special design

CHILDREN at a village primary school are determined not to forget their old building when they move into a brand new one next term.

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CHILDREN at a village primary school are determined not to forget their old building when they move into a brand new one next term.

Durham County Council is building a new school next to the present one at Carr Avenue, Brandon, for the children of Brandon Primary School to move in to in April.

Now glassware specialist Maralyn O’Keefe has been commissioned to create a stained glass window to stand in the lobby of the new building.

Maralyn, a stained glass specialist based in Consett where she has her own glass and art gallery in Medomsley Road, has designed windows for churches across the region and further afield, but she said designing a new window for a school was a new challenge.

She said: “The children are going to pass on some ideas today and I have until April to complete the work.

“The window will be seven feet high at the entrance to the new building. I would imagine part of the design will reflect Brandon’s mining heritage and the history of the village school.”

Headteacher Anne Charlton said: “The children are full of ideas of how they want the new window to look and I am sure Maralyn will be able to oblige.

“She is confident she can have the window complete by the time we move into the new building in April, which will be the dawning of a new era for us.

“The present building is now 82 years old and no longer fit for purpose. But we would like the stained glass window to reflect the old as well as the new.

“The window will give a warm welcome to visitors to the new school. The children are all excited about seeing their ideas on a window designed by Maralyn.”

The new building will have the capacity to house 390 pupils and a 26-place nursery unit, but was only given the go-ahead after a survey revealed there were no bats – a protected species – roosting in the old building.

It is being built as part of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.